Job Prospects for Engineers Extremely Bright


Torri Slomka

Torri Slomka, Applied Engineering Student

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports what Torri Slomka heard growing up in Perrysburg.

“My mom and step-dad told me that there will never not be a job for an engineer,” she said. Slomka’s mother, Leann, recently became an engineer after earning her chemical engineering degree from the University of Toledo in 2016. Scott Tibai is an electrical engineer.

Slomka, 20, is enrolled in Owens Community College’s School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), pursuing a degree in applied engineering. She has plans to transfer to the University of Toledo and complete a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

As engineers celebrate National Engineers Week February 17-23, labor data suggests an influx of engineers and computer-related employees is needed over the next decade due to more job opportunities and replacement of those employees leaving the workforce.

Traditionally, males have filled many STEM jobs, but promoting these professions to underrepresented groups such as women could help meet labor’s demand. According to 2018 labor data, Ohio has more than 66,000 engineers, but only 11 percent (or approximately 7,200) are women.

“My mom has instilled in me that I can do anything that I want to do,” said Slomka, a 2017 Perrysburg High School and Penta Career Center graduate.

“My mom has always worked on her cars and rebuilt engines. She does all of the yardwork. My mom is like a mom and a dad in one. She goes fishing. She goes hunting. She does everything. Anything you can think of, my mom does it. She set my mind that I can do anything.”

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Published February 2019